Utilitarianism

John Stuart Mill’s theory of Utilitarianism states that all pleasure is good and pain is bad; and in order to achieve a good life and establish good moral decisions we should act according to greatest happiness principle (GHP). Mill explains living according to the GHP, doesn’t mean that one lives to their own greatest happiness; but rather for the greatest number of people. Many times this will mean sacrificing one’s own happiness for the greater good of all people.

Mill answers the problems addressed to his utilitarian ethics, by first responding to the fear that such a base for morality (seeking the most pleasure) will turn into something like an abuse to personal pleasure. He solves this by explaining that there are levels of desires and primitive desires are not more pleasurable than intellectual desires, and can be proved by asking any person based on their experiences. Second Mill shows us despite complex mathematics in determining how much pleasure each action would commit, we don’t actually have to take the time to add up the pleasures and pains of every action instead we can simply look at human history and act according to what produced the most happiness. Finally Mill proved that utilitarian ethics can be endorsed through outside/inside sources. Outside sources such as God and other members of society agree with the GHP as they all agree that we want a happy life, and inside ourselves by use of our conscience where we want our fellow man to be happy.

Mill further defends utilitarianisms central claim that happiness is the only good by first defending the case of a virtuous character. Mill asks us to consider money, which functions as a means of acquiring something which we yearn. Essentially during a transaction for a product money is transformed from a way of getting what we desire to be the desired thing itself. The means therefore becomes the end. In essence virtue is just like money, and that it goes from being the means to the...